Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Shogun 2: Total War - Fall of the Samurai. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

While the graphics engine is showing its age a bit, it's still miles ahead of most other strategy games on the market. Creative Assembly has also done a great job easing new players in with a slew of helpful tutorials.

Gameplay

There were plenty of reasons to worry about this first standalone to one of the best strategy games, but Creative Assembly has managed to deliver one of the most deep and memorable experiences in the series.

Lasting Appeal

While it is just a standalone expansion, so it's not quite as large as the previous games in Creative Assembly's long running series, there's still a lot here to love, and a lot here to dig into.

Overall

Fall of the Samurai takes the established formula and adds in some great new features. It may not be the biggest game in the series, but it's still one of the best. Don't miss Fall of the Samurai.

CHEATfactor

The first time I played a Total War game was right here at Cheat Happens. It was within my first year as a full time reviewer, and I knew little about it. After an almost non-stop ten hour session with the game, I gave Empire: Total War a nearly perfect score and had a new favorite series. Flash forward a few years to Total War: Shogun, which set a new standard for the series. So you may be surprised how I went into the game's first standalone expansion - -Fall of the Shogun; I was worried.

You can't really blame me though. Total War Shogun 2 was nearly perfect in every way, and though I trusted Creative Assembly to know what they're doing with their franchise, but it seemed to add too much that it was tough to believe it could stay focused on what it does best. I'm not too proud to say that I've eaten my shoe and that I was wrong -- Fall of the Samurai takes what's great about the series and adds just enough to make it seem new, but still retain what so many fans love about the series. It may not be the deepest game in the series (come on, it's really just an expansion) but it's still one hell of an experience.

"...more powerful weapons to change the pace up brilliantly."

The best way to describe Fall of the Samurai is to bridge the gap between the previous games in the Total War series, and the Shogun titles. The game tells a fictionalized version of the story of the West's arrival to the shores of Japan -- the battles that ensued and as a result, the modernization of the nation. Here you'll get the same Shogun experience that made the original so memorable, with more powerful weapons to change the pace up brilliantly.

If you've played any of the more recent Total War games, you're likely to feel right at home with Fall of the Samurai. You'll be placed in the middle of the battles of the Boshin War and asked to either repeat or rewrite history While it's interesting to note that the Boshin war was actually a fairly mild and bloodless conflict, it won't be when you're done with the game -- your main goal is to grow your empire, while ending that of the opposition.

"As a result, the dynamic of the game changes..."

The East meets West dynamic adds a slew of interesting features to the formula that changes how you'll play. You'll be strategizing not only for naval warships, but for a budding railroad system and even powered artillery. The addition of powered weapons is the most telling of the changes, as you won't be able to rely on building bases and structures and giant guns are able to do damage to them quickly and efficiently. As a result, the dynamic of the game changes, and you'll be strategizing in an entirely different way than you were in the previous game, and that's just why Fall of the Samurai works so well.

Though it's an expansion and not the longest game you'll find in the series, Fall of the Samurai comes packed with tons of helpful tutorials and an insanely easy to use user interface, which helps experienced players adapt to the changes in the series, as well as helping those new to the series as they wade through the layers of depth. New players be warned though, as jumping in with Fall of the Samurai is risky, as the new features make it tough to go backwards in the series.

It may have some AI problems and lack some of the length found in previous editions of the series, but Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai is a great addition to an already incredible franchise. Not only does it continue what the others did so well, but it also introduces new gameplay mechanics that change how you play dramatically. For strategy fans, this is another one from Creative Assembly that can't be missed.

There are literally so many cheats that could be made for a great strategy game like Fall of the Samurai, and the trainer from Cheat Happens hits nearly all of them. Using the trainer, it's incredibly easy to gain an advantage over your opponents, and build up every aspect of your empire, from your army, to your troops, your resources and even the amount of damage you'll dish out in your turns.

The trainer for Fall of the Samurai is an early contender for best of the year, and you'll enjoy every minute of playing with it on such a great game.